Ordinary tales, with an extra twist

Tag: cage#free#freedom#fly#newyear#resolution#bird#finchesbarrier#

Last month we bought a couple of finches. Sturdy, low maintenance with a soothing chirp.They were bought as pets for Swadha …to give her a hang on what it means to take care of another living creature. She did her bit fairly well…but sadly one of them died.

I had no heart to see another one meet with same end…in its cage. I wanted to set the other one free… meet its destiny… out in the open as a free bird.

With some persuasion I got the blessing to do the honors.

I opened the lid hoping the bird to leap out immediately…spread it’s little wings and embrace its new found freedom. I wanted to witness this moment and pay tribute to the one that died… for it was for him that this one got set free.

This little bird had a valuable lesson for me.

Instead of flying away, it continued to do its thing in the cage. Pecked on its seeds…took little flights bar to bar like nothing momentous was waiting to happen. It chirped and went about its routine with no hurry. I watched this curiously… I though maybe it couldn’t see the open lid. So I prodded it towards the opening. It flew about with a bit of agitation, but didn’t seem to be ready to leave yet. I watched and I watched for a while… waiting to see the little bird’s tryst with the world outside. Then even I got busy with my routine… leaving the lid open.

As I left the scene I realized the bird did not act any different from us or…rather me. The cage was gone but not from the head. The bars which made the cage its home… gave it the confidence to flit and fly at will… no matter how limited the space was. Maybe the outer world scared it just like it scares me. I too fear the consequences so many times that I fail to take my chances.

Here I waited for the little bird to meet its grand destiny while I was keeping my options closed.

When I returned after a couple of hours , the cage was finally empty. The finch found its courage to step into this new world.

It left teaching me a valuable lesson for life:break free the barriers in the head. Each moment holds limitless opportunities, it’s up to me to grab it!

This couldn’t have happened in a more apt time. It’s new year…time for new determinations and I make this one in honor of the finch that flew away…I will take my chances.